THE
CORNERSTONE
Reflection for Monday
of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
(2Pet 1:2-7; Mk
12:1-12)
Have you ever tried to help someone but
he sees it as an opportunity to take advantage of you? Human greed and
injustice is at its worst in the parable of the vineyard that Jesus narrated in
today’s Gospel. It is interesting that we walk into the month of June with such
a beautiful story, which assures us of God benevolence and patience in leasing out
His treasured vineyard to His trusted servants. All He required of them was to
give Him what was His due. And what belonged to Him in justice was clearly
spelt out.
But, how can God’s servants offer
back to Him what they know ought to be given to Him if they did not appreciate
the treasure entrusted to them as an act of love? Without love there cannot be
justice! In their greed they thought that giving God what was His due would
reduce their enjoyment of the fruits of the vineyard. Thus, they acted like modern
day secularists who think that denying God a space in human affairs will guarantee
their control and self-emancipation. Think about those moments that prayers
seemed like infringing on our happy hour!
So they killed the prophets; they criticized religion and blamed the Church for
failures of society.
Surprisingly, the Master remained
patient and consistent in His plan for His beloved servants. He put in the
greatest sacrifice in order to get the tenants to obey. Finally He sent His Son
to them, saying, “They will respect my Son.” Imagine the great hope He bestowed
on His Son that where the prophets failed, His Son would succeed. Reflect on
the great assurance His placed on His Son on this journey that through His Son His
plan for the vineyard would be fulfilled. This hope cannot be in vain!
However, the greedy servants said to
themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will
be ours.” So they thought, but the Blood of the Son saved the vineyard from the
hands of the evil ones. In the death of the Son, the plan of the Master was
fulfilled; the hope placed in the Son shines out. “The very stone which the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone...” Yes, the vineyard of the Lord
is the House of Israel (Is 5:7)—God’s chosen people.
Therefore, let us build our lives
and homes on Jesus the Cornerstone. Greed and secularist lifestyle want us to believe that putting God aside will give us a sense of self-emancipation. In
Jesus we return back to God what is His due. Unless we build on Christ the
rock, we stand on a shaky ground. St Peter gives us a practical way to stand on
the Cornerstone in the first reading: “For this very reason make every effort
to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge
with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with
godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with
love.”
St Justin the Martyr, Pray for us.
Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday June 1st, 2020.
Memorial of St Justin de Martyr.
